Phoenix Rise: XieRong

When young lord Bai arrived with his family to his mother’s shop where his sister was found, he was surprised to see his younger brother on the floor. His first aunt and uncle rushed to their child.

"Bai NianZhu! Oh, my sweet child! Who did this to you?" A lean lady with heavy make up wailed, bending down near her son to examine him.

"Who?! Who did this? Who dares go against the Bai family? Show yourself!" The lean lady’s husband bellowed.

None of the servants, who were still stupefied by what the young girl had done, dared to speak up.

XieRong just stood the side with FeiHong and ChuHua next to her.

"First brother, calm down. Something must have happened," A handsome man in white said, entering the store.

"I demand an explanation second brother. Why has this happened to my son in your wife’s store?"

Bai Minzhe ignored his brother and looked to his daughter. He smiled in relief when he saw she was okay and happily munching on a steamed bun, however he was surprised to see that she was holding a young girl’s hand while doing so. ChuHua hardly spoke to strangers, let alone hold their hands.

"ChuHua, come to father," he said, waving her over.

ChuHua ran up to him happily, pulling his sleeves, signalling that she wanted to be picked up.

"Father and mother were so worried ChuHua! What if something happened?"

ChuHua giggled as her mother fussed over her.

XieRong smiled.

"Mother, stop. That Jie Jie over there brought me here, she also gave me a steamed bun for being a brave girl!" ChuHua said, proudly.

"Will you just ignore this insult to my son, Minzhe? This is not just an insult to me, but to the Bai family. Are you going to let it go so easily?"

XieRong shook her head. This man was asking for trouble.

"First brother, I just reunited with my daughter after she was lost for more than a Shi Chen. Can you blame me for being relieved to see her? Why don’t you take care of NianZhu while I deal with this?"

The first master grit his teeth, but kept silent.

"Young lord, I demand justice for my NianZhu," the lady next to NianZhu said, kneeling in Bai Minzhe’s direction.

Bai Changying was furious at her husband. How dare he back down so easily when it was their son in question here? If he couldn’t get justice for her son, then she would.

"Mother, it was that witch who did something to me!" Bai NianZhu said pointing at XieRong.

XieRong didn’t retaliate. She waited for the effects of Tanhuan berry to wear off and that of Gua wood to come into effect and judging from the way the second young lord had started to itch his arms it had already started to.

XieRong calmly took FeiHong by the hand to greet Lord Bai.

"BaiHua greets Lord Bai, Lady Bai and first young lord Bai," XieRong said, bowing at the waist.

"FeiHong greets Lord Bai, Lady Bai and young lord Bai," FeiHong said, following after her sister.

"Rise. Tell me little girl, are you the benefactor of my daughter?"

"Lord Bai, this miss will not lie to you. Indeed this miss wanted to help ChuHua find her family, but this didn’t bring her here knowing that this shop was owned by Lady Bai or that Chu Hua was the young miss of the Bai family. It was simply a lucky coincidence that this wanted to buy weapons and this shop happened to be the only one open today."

Lord Bai was pleased at this little girl’s honesty.

"Is the second young master’s accusation towards you true, little girl?"

"This miss indeed did talk to the second young lord, however it was the second young lord who approached this miss first with the intention of harming this miss. When this miss dodged, the second young lord fell to the ground. All the people who were present in the shop at the time can serve as witness to this."

"Uncle, that witch is lying!"

XieRong calmly turned to where the second young master was sitting on the floor furiously scratching his arms.

"Second young lord, how could this miss do anything to the second young lord when this miss didn’t even touch him? All the people who were present at the time can serve as witness to this fact. Are trying to tell Lord Bai that while all of us lie, the second young lord alone tells the truth? Is this young lord sure he has not eaten something bad?"

"Father, mother, believe me!" The second young lord said beginning to scratch his back and neck,"she’s done something to me, it’s so itchy!"

XieRong turned back to face Lord Bai.

"Lord Bai this miss has no cultivation. How could this miss, a seven year old girl, with no cultivation and no martial art skills harm the second young lord?"

Bai Minzhe had temporarily forgotten that before him was just a little girl and not a young woman. The Lord was impressed with the way she represented her case. He, being the west prime minister, had seen many people much older than this girl present their cases before him, but few hardly ever possessed the same calmness.

"Young miss, why are you hiding your cultivation and presence if you are not a cultivator?"

"Lord, this miss and her sister just recently learned to hide their cultivation and presence. We are to leave with Young Lord Bai today for the west province. If we happened to encounter danger on our way, then this miss and her sister will become easy targets, that’s why we had no choice but to learn how to hide our cultivation."

"Father, what this miss says is true. I received a note that a girl named BaiHua and her little sister will be travelling with us," the first young lord Bai said. He was prepared to help this girl from the moment he found out that she had helped his sister, however not only had she not needed his help, she’d also let him see a good show.

"Minzhe, how can you trust this girl’s words over my son’s?" NianZhu’s father finally said.

"Elder brother, if I ask this girl to show us her cultivation, and if everything she said is true, then how are you going to make up to her?"

"Hmph. If everything she has said is true then I’m willing to listen to any one of her demands, but if she has lied and my son was telling the truth all along then she will have to be punished severely, even if she is the benefactor of your daughter."

XieRong shook her head at Lord Bai’s elder brother in her heart. He had dug his own grave.

"Miss, please do this lord the trouble of showing your cultivation," The Lord Bai said, sighing at his brother’s stupidity. Couldn’t he see that this young girl was too smart to get into trouble she couldn’t handle?

XieRong let her cultivation show.

"Brother, now everyone in this room, including you and I, can serve witness to the girl. Tell me, what have you to say for yourself?"

The second young master’s father pulled his son up by the ear for making him lose face in front of so many people. Bai Changying slapped her son across his face.

"Have I taught you this? To lie?"

"But mother-"

"Don’t call me ’mother’. I have not raised a son like you!" She huffed, storming away, with her husband and son following behind.

XieRong couldn’t control the smile that broke out on her face.

"Lord Bai, is the deal between this miss and the first lord still valid?"

Lord Bai smiled.

"This lord’s elder brother will not go back on the promise after he made it in front of so many people."

XieRong thought about it.

"Lord Bai, this miss has nothing she wants or needs right now, so this young miss would like Lord Bai to have the favour the first lord owes me. This miss knows that the lord will make better use of it than this miss will be able to. Besides, this miss be leaving in half a Shi Chen so this miss will not be able to reclaim it anyway."

"Young miss, you have already done this lord a great favour by returning his daughter to him. If this lord accepts your offer, it will be considered as another favour this lord owes you."

XieRong smiled. This Lord Bai was definitely deserving of his title as well as his position as the west prime minister. If she could earn his trust, it would be easier to make things difficult for the Fa family in the future.

"Lord Bai, this miss saved your daughter because this miss saw her little sister in the young miss. This miss would be absolutely distraught if she were to lose her sister on such a crowded day. This miss did for ChuHua what this miss would want someone else to do for this miss’ sister. So this miss would still like it if the lord accepted this miss’ offer in exchange for this lord’s protection for this miss and her sister."

Lord Bai laughed and looked at his wife who had taken Chu Hua from him and held her in her arms.

"What do you think dear wife, should I accept?"

"I wouldn’t mind if you decided to adopt them as your goddaughters. They’ve returned ChuHua to me and that is the greatest favour I have owed anyone in my life. Who knows what could have happened to her if they hadn’t found her."

"So you want me to take them as my goddaughters?"

Bai Dongmei glared at her husband. He was teasing her by pretending not to take the hint.

"Yes, husband. I want to take them as my goddaughters. That is the greatest protection you and I can offer them."

XieRong couldn’t believe this.

It was surreal.

But she couldn’t let them register her and FeiHong as their goddaughters now, not when she was under a false name.

"Alright, I will register you and your sister as my goddaughters," Lord Bai said. He was more than happy to have such an intelligent addition to his family.

"Lord Bai, this miss is overjoyed that you and the lady think so highly of this miss and her sister, but this miss is afraid that she must refuse."

"Child, do you think this is an offer we give everyone?"

Lord Bai sounded upset.

XieRong hurriedly explained.

"Lord Bai, this miss does want this miss and her sister to be your goddaughters. It will be a great honour for us, however due to personal reasons that this miss is currently unable to tell the lord, this miss can not accept the lord’s offer currently . However, once this miss has achieved what this miss has set out to do in Qianhe, this miss will gladly accept the lord’s offer then."

XieRong looked at Lord Bai who looked at his Furen.

The Furen smiled and nodded. She didn’t want her benefactors to be troubled.

Lord Bai smiled at the little seven year old girl before him.

"We understand. We will be waiting for your visit, but for now, take this," he said, handing her a green jade tablet with ’Bai’ engraved on it.

"This is..." XieRong said, holding the precious tablet in her hands.

"A token of our gratitude."

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